Inlet AI alternatives for law firms
Summary: Inlet is an AI timekeeper for law firms. It runs on the attorney's computer, follows work in apps such as Outlook, Word, Acrobat, Zoom and Teams, and drafts time entries to approve and send to Clio, MyCase or PracticePanther. It does not publish a price. Alternatives fall into two groups: other timekeepers, such as Billables AI, Laurel, PointOne and Ajax, and tools that start from the client call, such as Astrid, which drafts the call note, the follow-up tasks, a client recap and the time entry from each call for $40 per person per month.
We make Astrid, so weigh our side accordingly. Everything about Inlet below comes from its own website, read on October 26, 2026. Features and prices change; confirm with the vendor before you buy.
Which Inlet this is
Several products are called Inlet. This guide is about Inlet at inletai.com, an AI timekeeping product for law firms backed by Y Combinator. If you were looking for a different Inlet, the rest of this page will not apply.
What Inlet does
Inlet's site describes it as automated timekeeping. It tracks the work an attorney does across the apps on their computer, and lists Outlook, Word, Acrobat, Gmail, Google Calendar, Zoom, Teams and Slack. From that activity it drafts time entries, and the attorney reviews them and sends them to the billing system in one click. Its FAQ says nothing goes to the billing system until the attorney approves it.
Inlet works alongside a firm's existing system rather than replacing it. Its site names Clio, MyCase and PracticePanther. Its FAQ says firms install Inlet and connect their system, and that administrators see approved time and firm-level reports, not a live view of what attorneys are doing.
On security, the site says Inlet encrypts customer data, follows SOC 2 security controls, does not use customer data to train AI models, and does not share data with other parties.
Inlet does not publish a price. Its site offers a 14-day free trial, started by booking a demo.
What to compare before you choose
- Where your unbilled time goes. If it is email, drafting and document review, a desktop timekeeper fits. If it is client calls and meetings, a tool that captures the call itself can measure the time and also produce the record of what was said.
- What lands in your case management system. A timekeeper sends time entries. Ask whether you also need a note, tasks or a recording on the matter.
- Whether you need a published price. Some vendors publish per-user prices; Inlet asks you to book a demo.
- Who sees the drafts. Ask what administrators and partners can see before entries are approved.
The alternatives
| Tool | What it starts from | What it produces | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inlet | Work on the attorney's computer | Time entries | Not published |
| Billables AI | Email, calendar, documents, browser and meetings | Time entries | $59 to $199 per user per month, or $47 to $169 billed yearly |
| Laurel, PointOne, Ajax | Activity on the attorney's computer and accounts | Time entries | Varies; check each vendor |
| Clio and Smokeball's own tools | Activity inside the practice management system | Time entries | Part of the vendor's plans |
| Astrid | Client calls and meetings | A file note, follow-up tasks, a client recap and a time entry from each call | $40 per person per month, or $400 per year |
Billables AI is the closest like-for-like alternative: another timekeeper that drafts entries from desk work and meetings and sends them to Clio, MyCase, Filevine and others, with published prices. See our Billables AI comparison.
Astrid starts from a different place. It captures client calls and meetings through Zoom Phone, Dialpad, a dial-in number that works with any phone, a meeting notetaker for Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, a Windows desktop app, an iPhone app or an uploaded recording. From each call it drafts a note in your firm's format, follow-up tasks, a recap email for the client and, for matters billed by the hour, a time entry with the call's measured length and a description a client can read. An attorney approves the note and the timekeeper approves the time entry before either files to Clio, Smokeball, Lawcus or 8am MyCase.
Which one fits
Choose Inlet or another desktop timekeeper if most of your missed time is email, drafting and research, and you want time captured without changing how anyone works.
Choose Astrid if the time and the record you lose are mostly on calls and meetings: a twelve-minute client call at 6pm that never makes the timesheet, or a call nobody wrote up. The call note and the time entry come from the same recording, so the matter has both. Firms that bill hourly can also use a desktop timekeeper for desk work alongside it; decide which tool owns time for calls so one call does not produce two entries.
See how Astrid drafts time entries from calls, or start a 14-day free trial and run it on real calls.
Sources
- Inlet: inletai.com, read October 26, 2026
- Billables AI: pricing, read October 22, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is Inlet AI?
Inlet (inletai.com) is an AI timekeeping tool for law firms, backed by Y Combinator. It watches the work an attorney does on their computer, in apps such as Outlook, Word, Acrobat, Gmail, Zoom, Teams and Slack, and drafts time entries for the attorney to approve and send to Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther or another billing system. Other products also use the name Inlet; this is the legal one.
How much does Inlet cost?
Inlet does not publish a price. Its site offers a 14-day free trial, started by booking a demo.
Does Inlet take notes on client calls?
Its site describes time entries, not call notes. It lists calls and meetings among the work it turns into time entries, but does not describe a written record of what was said. Astrid drafts the file note, follow-up tasks and a client recap from each call, plus a time entry.
What are the alternatives to Inlet?
Other AI timekeepers include Billables AI, Laurel, PointOne and Ajax, and Clio and Smokeball have their own time capture. If the time you lose is mostly client calls and meetings, Astrid drafts the time entry and the call note together, for $40 per person per month.